New Striker-Fired P320: SIG/Sauer Nails It

The P320 has been kept under wraps for a long time, but I finally got my hands on SIG/Sauer’s new striker-fired pistol today. We’ll never know for sure until we get to shoot one, but I’m thinking SIG/Sauer has a winner on their hands here. Why? . . .

It keeps the three-caliber modularity and excellent grip ergonomics of the P250, but it replaces the unloved DAO fire control system with a modern striker-fired action.

Here’s the rear view. It looks just like a P250, but where’s the hammer? Gone. The striker mechanism has a smooth (yes, smooth) and short trigger pull, with a very short and very tactile reset point. For most shooters this will translate into quicker split times and greatly improved practical accuracy.

SIG’s cleverness doesn’t end here, however. P320 slide assemblies and fire control groups are completely new but the grip frames, barrels, magazines and accessories are all interchangeable from the P250.

The 320 has an MSRP of $719, with actual street prices to be predictably lower. I desperately want to test one of these, which will be really simple since I’ve already got a half-dozen magazines and a spare grip frame for it.

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I wonder how they’ll deal with P250 owners that just want to buy a slide and fire control group? The fire control group would need to go thru an FFL – but hopefully there is an option to buy it that way.

I lol’d at Dirks comment! But honestly, with full interchangeability between the p250, the fact that it is striker fired, and it is competitively priced, I am happy to see us sig fans now have a better polymer competitor. I only hope the rest of the sig fanboys come to fall for this like I am right now…

I never thought about “high” or “low” bore axis until I read about it somewhere on the Internet. Seems to me to be an issue created only for such discussions. People are malleable and can adjust. I just shoot guns and never paid attention to such trivia.

I think mileage varies on the high bore axis thing. As for me, I find a high bore axis actually reduces my felt recoil as a matter of leverage. Muzzle flip is definitely increased with high-bore (SIG, XDm), but I don’t get as much straight back into the web of my (arthritic) thumb. Low bore is fine on a heavy piece like a Beretta, but on a light Glock or an M&P, I get it all right in the web in one little spot, and it starts to irritate my old broken hands pretty quick. And the high-bores do point a little better for me (as do “medium” bore heights like a 1911 or CZ). But that’s just me.

yeah that’s one of those things that i think they REALLY messed up on. I’m sure the bore axis remains the same because of the grip compatibility. But in my book was the grip compatibility really that important? Magazine compatibility is really nice because you can have a sizable investment in those but it was my understanding that they grip modules only costed $30, why set the entire ergo’s of the “new, game-changing” pistol around that one nearly useless bit of compatibility?!?

Unloved DAO? That’s a feature, not a flaw. That’s precisely why we bought a P250 in .45, which is her EDC. Try as we might, neither of us can get over the fact that my striker fired G26 and her LC9 are each sitting there with a striker and hammer, respectively, under partial tension.

Yes, I understand that there are multiple internal safety mechanisms preventing the striker and hammer from moving forward toward the primer. No, I don’t know for a fact whether that partial tension is even sufficient, should every safety fail, to ignite the primer and discharge a round anyway.

Still, it would sit there with that potential energy staring straight at that cartridge in a way that a true DAO does not. So we don’t carry either of those firearms with a round chambered, as she does the P250.

I had a friend that just got into guns tell me the other day that he never leaves a round in the chamber on his kimber because its dangerous. I told him he should do some research, get some firearms training ,and leave the gun home till you smarten up.

Not a fan of Striker Fired guns..I am a SIG fan…but I am not a fan of BRAND new SIG designs because they have a realy poor track record on new designs…they work after a year or two but first batch seems to be a mess….so torn…damn

Do a search for ” Problems with R-51 “. It looks like the shot show and ones given to some writers may have been hand fitted. Hearing plenty of complaints on the production guns. Mostly people complaining about trigger reset, loose back sights and some stiff recoil with plain jane ammo. I was reading because I was so interested in one myself. It is a sharp looking gun. Looks like I will wait as Remmington lets paying customers work out the bugs. I wound not mind some extra weight if it came with a steel reciever. Remember, there is always payment due on short and light in the firearms field.
JL

The groups that I shoot with my P226 as compared to those with my brother’s G19 tell me that I must be a high bore axis kinda guy. I look forward to handling one of these 320s. Multical platforms make sense to me in these days of limited ammo. Would be nice to see them come out with a .22LR upper and mags for it.

I called and spoke with a Sig rep yesterday and they said the P250 mags and P320 are NOT interchangeable. However, these are the same people that said you can’t use a compact slide and barrel on a subcompact grip….which is what I carry…

He also told me there are no plans to discontinue the P250. Geeze, talk about a mind blow.

I guess I must be a “SIGot”, a SIG bigot, because I like every SIG I own. I guess I should find the whole “bore axis” argument significant, but I don’t. I have never found a real world issue with it. I do find that a pistol’s trigger is extremely significant, or SIGnificant. I good crisp trigger that allows me to stay on target is the most important issue in accuracy, to me. Sights are number two. I have never considered bore axis an issue in pistol shooting. I am very impressed indeed with the fit and finish of my SIGs. They are very well designed and built. Yes, they are expensive, but I buy pistols to keep them and shoot them, so the investment is worth it to me. I own Rugers, Glocks, Smiths, Detonics, Randalls, Rock Islands, and on and on. I like them all. To me, my pistols shoot exactly where I point them.

I had a P250 two-sum and thought the entire concept was brilliant, and I really loved the ergonomics. However, I never got used to that trigger, and had a problem with my night sights burning out on one of them. After the third sight replacement, I traded it (them). I have to admit I’m intrigued by the P320. I hope this pistol isn’t plagued with problems similar to the first generation of P250’s.

I own a P250 9mm full size. I called Sig today and they said there is no plan to have an option to purchase just the P320 fire control group and slide. I suggested that I would purchase one if available and they didn’t seem to care. Considering a grip frame is just about $40 I guess I see their point — just buy the whole package. A local GS owner told me he heard at Shot Show 2014 that the P250 is to be discontinued. Not good news for P250 owners.

Never understood badmouthing the p250. I have a Pelican full of grip and barrels in 9mm, .40.and .45, FS down to SC. The badmouthing was a media thing that some folks thought was cool.

DAO is fine, if that is what you fire. If you swing down to SA, then it’s confusing. If you fire DA/SA, you will be hopelessly confused. DAO also is the safest with a round on the chamber. (If you have tho rank the slide, I’m sorry.)

The p290 is a fine pocket pistol, DAO.

I look forward to buying a complete p320 carry in .40 cal. It will be a fine piece of work.